Helping Your Child Manage Diabetes

If your child has been diagnosed with diabetes, you may feel a little overwhelmed. From monitoring symptoms to making the necessary lifestyle adjustments, having a child with diabetes can be difficult for the whole family. However, there are ways you can help your child control diabetes, as well as promote better health and a deeper understanding of this disease. Keep reading for everything you need to know about managing childhood diabetes. 

Communication

Open communication is essential to the safe, effective management of your child’s illness. What’s more, while parent-child communication is key, it’s also important to engage in frequent, honest dialogue with healthcare providers, teachers, siblings and other figures in your child’s life. Tips like the following can help you maintain an open conversation about childhood diabetes:

• Encourage questions. The more your child knows about diabetes, the more effectively he can manage symptoms. Answer his questions honestly, but in age-appropriate language he can understand. 
• Include the whole family in the conversation. If your child has siblings, they should know as much about diabetes as possible. Talk to them about recognizing the signs of high or low blood glucose, and create a plan of action in dealing with symptoms and emergencies. 
• Keep teachers in the loop. Your child’s teachers, bus drivers, and other school employees should be informed of your child’s diagnosis, as well as any changes in medication, dosage, etc. Be sure your emergency contacts are kept up to date, and check in periodically with any questions or concerns.
• Get to know your child’s healthcare providers. Doing your research and asking questions can go a long way in the effective management of your child’s illness. Keep a running list of questions and concerns, and present them to your pediatrician at each visit. 

Monitoring Made Simple

No matter your child’s age, it’s important to teach them the proper monitoring technique. And while they may need supervision, learning how to check their own glucose levels will help children feel more in control of their illness. To simplify the monitoring process, keep the following points in mind:

• Know when to test. The right time to monitor glucose can depend on a number of factors. As a general rule, testing should be done prior to meals and at bedtime. Testing is also recommended when your child is sick, or following any changes to diet, medication or activity levels. 
• Use the right supplies. When it comes to monitoring, choosing the right supplies can make the process easier for your child. The site ADW Diabetes offers a variety of brands that specialize in monitors, testing strips, insulin pumps and other products, all designed to make testing as simple and effective as possible. 
• Tracking results. To help you and your child better understand glucose levels, keep a record of monitoring and results. Be sure to make note of the time and whether testing occurred before or after a meal. 

More Tips

Diabetes can affect your family in a number of ways. To better cope with changes brought on by this illness, the following tis can help:

• Make it a group effort. Since diabetes is directly affected by diet, you’ll have to make some serious changes to your meal planning. However, instead of only focusing on the child with diabetes, make healthier eating a family affair. This will help your child feel less isolated, and will also enhance the health of your entire family. 
• Enjoy your normal activities. Diabetes can often seem all-consuming. To avoid becoming overwhelmed by your child’s illness, be sure to enjoy your normal family activities in addition to making healthier lifestyle choices. 
• Seek support. Support groups can provide a safe place where parents can discuss their concerns, as well as share knowledge and coping mechanisms. Ask your child’s pediatrician about support groups on your area.

Having a child with diabetes can affect your family in a number of ways. However, while diabetes is a serious illness, the tips provided here can help you and your child manage symptoms and improve overall health and quality of life.